Refrigerator.



v ISABELLA CUTLEB, 0F NORTH GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA.

BEFRIGERATOR.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Mrs. ISABELLA M. Cum, a citizen of the United States, residin at North Glendale, in the county of Los ngeles and Stateof California, have invented new and useful Improvements in `Refrihgerators, of which the following is a speci cation.

My invention relates to refrigerators, and more particularly to mechanism and apliances used in connection with common ice-boxes or refrigerating boxes, but it will easily be understood from the following that I may construct a refrigerating box especially desi ed to comply with the requirements o the several new arts and devices in this invention. An o ject of this invention is to accomplish refrigeration by utilizing the passing ressure while using water, gas, or similar orces in a household by providing a motor at a suitable place near or in the refrigerator which is o erated by the owing or passing pressure o water, gas, or a similar force used in a household.

Another object is to provide a dripping of water in the path of the air draft in the A refrigerator.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation partly in vertical mid-section of my device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my flushing valve connected to the closed end of a water supply pipe, which is shown in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the engaging means on the shaft between the motor and the propeller 15.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the papers.

In Fig. 1, 3 designates the outline of an ice-box or common refrigerator as used in households, restaurants and similar places. I prefer to provide a tube 4 for air circulation through the refrigerator and provide a reversed hood 5, increasing the diameter of the tube to the proper area of the refrigerator. A second hood 6 is placed on top of the refrigerator decreasing the area of the refrigerator tothe proper diameter of the outlet tube 7. A gutter 8 is provided near the upper edge within the lower hood 5 being always supplied with a suitable amount of water to procure a dripping of water Specieaton of Letten Patent.

Patented Jan. 7, 1919.

I Application led J'une 27, 1917. Serial No. 177,411.

upon the burlap, cotton, or flannel layers 1Q and 11 through the wicks 9, which are disposed 1n the gutter hanging over the upper edge of the gutter to a suitable extent downwardly to insure a dripping of the water from the gutter into the layers 10.

The layers 10 and 1l are formed to leave a suitable space between the upper edge 12 of the layer 11- and the lower edge 13 of therlayer 1Q allowing the air draft to pass through this space past the dripping water in case that the air cannot pass through the layers to a suitable amount, when the cloth is too wet, or for other reasons notv foreseen, thus constituting so to say vanes within the .lower hood 5 for deflecting, guiding, and, circulating the fresh air through the saturated wet body in the hood 5.

To insure a proper draft through the refrigerator, a motor 14 is provided at a' suitable place, in the drawing it being shown Just above the l'ayer 11 within the lower hood 5, for the operation of the propellers 15 and 16. The supply pipe 17 is shown connecting sidewise with the motor and the o utlet ipe 18 connecting from the lower side with the motor, but it will easily be understood that the motor can be at any other suitable place, and proper transmitting means connecting the motor with the propellers, as per shafts, chains, cable, or similar means.

I prefer two propellers for the reason that the motor is directly connected with one propeller operating` this one while in motion, while a second propeller is operated by a suitable power, stored by the operation of the motor, such stored power starting operationautomatically as soon as the motor stops. In the drawing, the pulley 19 is secured to the motor shaft 20 transmitting, by the cables 21, the motion of the motor directly to the propeller 16. A drum 22 is loosely mounted between the pulley 19 and the propeller 15 on the shaft 23, as is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. The hub 24 of the ropeller 15 is secured to the shaft 23 by t e key 25. Just below the hub of the propeller, the shaft is provided with a coarsely threaded end 26 loosely engagin with the threaded part 27 in the upper end o the drum 22, in Fig. 3 the drum being shown disengaged from the end 26. The lower endv of the drum is provided with a friction meinber 28 formed to engage with the friction the time that the motor stops,

in this case the weight, causes clutch 29. The clutch is slidingly mounted on the shaft 30 and the key 31. The shaft 30 is the upper end of the motor shaft 20. A spring 32, see Fig. 1, is connected to the lever 33, which is pivotally mounted at 34 thereby tipping the lever so as to cause the clutch normally to engage with the friction member 28 on the drum 22.

Assuming that this refrigerator is used in the household of a small residence in con nection with the water supply in such place, 'then the supply pipe 17 of the device is directly connected to the main supply pipe outside of the residence and the outlet pipe 18 of the device forms the supply connection for the pipe line in` the house, so that the water to be used in the household must rst go through the motor in this device, the slightest amount of water used in the household, thereby causing the operation of the motor.

The operation of the motor operates the propeller or fan 16 directly, while the clutch 29 on the motor shaft engages with the drum 22 causing the threaded end 27 to unscrew from the threaded end 26 of the shaft 23 to which the propeller .or fan 15 is secured, and winding the cable 35 and thereby bringing the weight 36 ,up until the block 37 strikes the lever 33, disengaging the friction clutch from the drum.

The lower end 38 of the shaft 23 is turnably disposed in a bore in the upper end of the shaft 30, so that the motor, clutch, drum and upper fan 16 may be operated while the fan 15 remains unturned in the stopping position.

As soon as the clutch disengages from the friction member 28 on the drum, the weight 36 begins to unwind the cable 35 from the drum, this motion causes the drum to engage with the threaded end 26 of the shaft 23, thereby operating the fan 15.

In case that the motor is still in operation, it will naturally again engage with the drum through the clutch and rewind the drum after irst unscrewing the fan 15, and the weight will under such conditions, be kept in its top position until the motor stops, as 4the slightest movement of the weight downward allows the lever 33 to move by the spring 32 into' such a position as to cause the clutch tov engage with the friction member 28. Therefore, as long as the motor isin motion, the clutch will naturally always engage with the Jfriction member on the drum even if just slightly and slidingly, but enough to keep the weight in its top position.

The operation of the motor forms therefore a cooling power through the upper fan directly, storing at the same time power for when the stored power,

the second fan to operate, and it will easily understood that the draft in this device 1s automatically forced through the refrigrator Without the least cost for the operaion.

The container 39, see Fig. 1, is provided with chemicals for food purifying purposes, and it will be understood that this container can be placed .at any suitable place within the air draft through the refrigerator. 4 To provide a steady flow of water in the gutter as necessary for the wicks described above, a small side tube 40 is provided from the main supply pipe 17, and at the end of the tube 40 a oat-operated valve is provided, as shown in detail in Fig. 2. The end 4l of the tube 40 is closed, having a small opening 42 with which the needle valve 43 engages.

A rising of the water in the gutter 8 will naturally cause the ioat 44 to rise with the water. The float, being pivotally connected to the arm 45 on the end of the tube 40 at 46, causes the needle valve to close the'opening 42 'in the tube 40, keeping the water in the gutter at a certain height.

Having thus described my invention, l claim 1- 1. In a refrigerator of the class ,described an air supply pipe connected to the lower end of the refrigerator, an air outlet pipe connected to the upper-end of the refrigerator, both pipes disposed so as to form the air circulatlng means through the refrigerator, a gutter provided near the upper edge of the air supply pipe, a water supply pipe connected to the gutter, cloth vanes disposed in the air supply pipe so as to form pathways for the air draft through the air supply pipes, and wicks disposed in the gutter so as to procure a dripping of water from the gutter upon the cloth vanes and into the pathways between the vanes in the path of the air passing through the air supply pipe into and through the refrigerator.

2. In a refrigerator of the class described an air supply pipe mounted below the refrigerator `increasin in diameter toward the bottom of the re rigerator for distributing the air from the suppl, pipe over the whole area through the re igerator, cloth sheets disposed within the path of the air through the device, a water supply connected to a suitable receptacle in the air supplyy pipe, and Wicks disposed in the receptacle of the water supply extending into the ath of the air supply so as to procure a diipping of water into the path of the air sup- P y 3. In a refrigerator of the class described an air supply pipe attached to the lower end of the refrigerator, an air outlet pipe attached to the upper end of the refriger-y of the air supply pipe within the same, a Water supply pipe communicating with the inside of the gutter, and a float operated valve secured to the end of the water supply pipe for regulating the water supply in the gutter.

4. In a refrigerator of the class described, an air supply pipe attached to the lower end of the refrigerator, an air outlet pipe attached to the upper end of the refrigerator, fabric vanes provided in the air supply pipe, a gutter provided near the upper edge of the air supply pipe within the same, a water supply pipe communicating with the gutter, and wicks disposed in the gutter hanging over the upper edge of the gutter downwardly into the path of the air supply above the fabric vanes.

5. 'In a refrigerator of the class described, an air supply pipe attached to the lower end of the refrigerator, an air outlet pipe provided to the upper end of the refrigerator, fabric vanes provided in the air supply pipe, a gutter provided near the upper edge of the air supply pipe within the same, a water supplypipe communicating with the gutter, wicks disposed in the gutter hanging over the upper edge of the gutter downwardl into the path of the air supply above the abrio vanes, and air circulating means disposed in the air pipes.

6. In a refrigerator of the class described, an air supply pipe attached to the lower end of the refrigerator, an air outlet pipe attached to the upper end of the refrigerator, fabric vanes provided in the air supply pipe, a gutter provided near the upper edge of the air supply pipe within the same, a water supply pipe communicating with the gutter, wicks disposed in the gutter hanging over the upper edge ofthe gutter downwardly into the path of the air supply above the fabric vanes, and air circulating means disposed in the air pipes having means to receive the operating force from the water supply and having other means for automatically operating the air circulating means when the water is shut olf, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ISABELLA M. CUTLER.

Witnesses:

W. C. CUTLER, LUCIEN GRAY. 

